Wetland Delineation Information and Standards

Wetlands, including those that do not appear on the PEI Wetland Inventory (provincial mapping) are protected under the Watercourse and Wetland Protection Regulations of the Environmental Protection Act.

Wetland Delineation

A wetland delineation may be required if a proposed development (residential, commercial or industrial), subdivision or other activity (land clearing, forest harvesting, etc) will (or is likely to) have an impact upon a wetland.  

The province has developed a Public Information Mapping App and a Wetland Identification web page to assist the public in determining if a potential wetland exists on a property.  These are intended as a guide only; in all cases, wetland status must be determined on the ground by government and/or a wetland delineator.

Process for Wetland Delineation

The Government of PEI has staff trained in wetland delineation but limited resources to provide delineation services to the public.  Upon request, provincial staff will confirm the presence of a wetland (via desktop review and/or a site inspection) prior to recommending a wetland delineation. 

Staff may carry out a boundary determination for a wetland of approximately 0.5 hectares or less. Note that a full wetland delineation report will not be provided by government.

For wetlands larger than approximately 0.5 ha, the landowner/developer must utilize a wetland delineator and cover all costs associated with completion of a wetland delineation in the area of potential impact.  

Wetland delineations/boundary determinations may only be carried out by an individual(s) with Wetland Delineation Training as per the USACE Wetlands Delineation Manual and Northcentral/Northeast Supplement.  PEI is a densely populated province with numerous unmapped wetlands, relatively few areas that have not been historically disturbed and red parent material soils which can be challenging to interpret.  Delineators should be aware that PEI conditions can offer somewhat unique wetland delineation challenges.

Wetland delineations should be carried out within the recognized wetland delineation timeframe (June 1 – Sept 30).   Delineators considering working more than two weeks outside this timeframe must receive pre-approval from the province. Delineations conducted more than two weeks outside the recognized timeframe without pre-approval may be rejected without review. Wetland delineators must use a regional (Nova Scotia or New Brunswick) plant indicator list.

Wetland Delineation Reports

A digital copy (PDF) of the wetland delineation report must be submitted to ELM@gov.pe.ca for review. The wetland delineation report must include, at a minimum:

• The PID number for all properties assessed;
• The delineators name, signature, contact information and wetland delineation training/experience;
• A description of the hydrology, vegetation and soil characteristics/indicators observed, including photos which clearly show the relevant features;
• Actual field data sheets (Standard US ACE Wetland Determination Data Form - Northcentral and Northeast Region) included as an appendix.  
• Photos of wetland and upland data points;
• A recent aerial photo overlaid with the newly delineated wetland(s); and
• GPS coordinates of the wetland boundary and paired data points.

Wetland delineations must be submitted for review and approval and should not be considered valid until approved.  The review process may include an inspection of the area to confirm findings.  Approved delineations will generally be valid for five years.

Approved wetland delineations will be used to update PEI Wetland Inventory mapping.  Delineation reports should include the following additional information to facilitate the update process:

• An estimate of the percent of dominant wetland cover (class) for each wetland type present as per the PEI Wetland Inventory dominant wetland covers;
• The type of impoundment (if applicable) which contributes to the presence of the wetland as per wetland impoundment types.

Questions

Inquiries should be directed to ELM@gov.pe.ca with “wetland delineation” in the subject line.